DeKalb County: Entertainment industry has $2 billion economic impact

A new report from the DeKalb Entertainment Commission says the total impact of the film, television, music and digital arts industry on the county is $1.98 billion.

That amount reflects the jobs and income created directly and indirectly by these productions, as well as spending by employees within the county.

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The county says it has an easy permitting process, a skilled workforce and major studios in the area.

Over the past five years, jobs directly tied to the industry have increased 12 percent from 5,344 to 5,988, the report said. In total, 14,700 jobs are either directly or indirectly tied to entertainment companies or created by those employees’ spending, according to the report.